Also known as: 草摺
Kusazuri are the plated Armor skirts commonly seen on traditional Japanese Samurai armor, attached at the bottom portion of the Dou, the chest armor. They are composed of a grid of small plates (lamés) made from laminated leather or iron and riveted together in a fashion similar to Sode shoulder guards.
Their role is to protect the waist and upper thighs while still giving flexibility, much like their Western equivalent, Faulds and Tassets.
A related piece of armor is the Haidate, a set of similarly-constructed thigh guards worn underneath the kusazuri but affixed directly to the thighs instead of swinging freely.
The simple cloth equivalents found on kendo Bougu training armor are called tare.
